Twinkle
by attheclose
Summary: She's just a shy theater girl who got thrown on stage. How could she know that one crazy director's decision could change her whole life? B/E All Human
1. Twinkle

_A/N: This is just a sweet story I wrote about Edward and Bella. There will be more chapters, about 11 I think, plus an epilogue. It includes appearances by a lot of the other characters, but it's not really about them. It's all human. This isn't my first fanfiction, just the first thing I've posted on this site. I hope you guys like it._

_Disclaimer: I'm not Stephanie Meyers, I don't own her characters, I just love them._

Ch 1

**Twinkle**

"House in five!"

"Thank you, five," I mumbled, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Hey, Bella!"

"Hm?" I whipped my head around. It was our stage manager, Lauren. I hated her. She was a control freak and a bitch.

"You've watched every rehearsal, haven't you?"

"It's my job," I said. I was the production assistant, meaning I sat around at rehearsals and did odd jobs for the director. During the show, I was supposed to assist the props mistress. I also painted the majority of the set, but I didn't really get any credit for that.

"Yeah, so, we're kind of desperate, one of the little girls in the chorus called just about five minutes ago, we've been trying to get a hold of her since call, but anyway, she's apparently puking her guts out, so we need you to go out there."

I choked on my smoke.

"What?"

"It's a really small part," she said, "and I told Reece to just have one of the other girls say her line, but you know how she gets. She wants you to fill in for her."

"Why me?" I asked.

Lauren shrugged. "Director's orders. Anyway, go back to costumes, then get in hair and make-up as fast as you can."

"Who am I playing?" I asked.

"You know the girl with the shortish light brown hair?"

"Freckles, really skinny?"

"Yes, that one."

"Jenny."

"Sure."

"Oh, I'm so glad I decided to take this boat?"

"Yes, that's the line!" said Lauren. "I guess _that's_ why you. Go get into costume. House in…" she looked at her watch, "three."

"Thank you, three," I said, and ran back in the building and back to costumes, where Jessica, our costume girl, was running around frantically. It was opening night, and she was always behind.

"Hold on, Mike, let me stitch that up!" shouted Jessica. "Where are you going?"

"Mike!" I heard Lauren yell from behind me. "You were supposed to get into costume before hair and make-up!"

"Sorry," said Mike awkwardly, "the mirrors were full, and—"

"Don't give me excuses, Mike," Lauren snapped before walking off. I rolled my eyes.

"You look good Mike," I assured him.

"Thanks," he smiled at me.

I pushed through.

"Jessica," I said, "hate to bother you, but I need Jenny's costume, fast."

"Over on the rack," she said, "navy blue skirt, white shirt, should be the only one up there."

"Thanks!" I said over my shoulder, jumping over a chair, stripping my shirt off as I went. I pulled on the costume as fast as I could, then made for the make-up tables. I grabbed some foundation and smeared it on, adding some blush, eye-liner, and mascara.

"Red lipstick anyone?" I asked to anyone listening. Someone handed me a tube of lipstick. "Thanks." I pushed the make-up around, searching for some eye shadow. I finally found some and finished up my face. I smacked my lips and smeared my eye lids. I was ready enough for the stage. I looked around for Eric, our hair guy. I saw him chatting with one of the actresses in the corner.

"Eric!" I yelled. "Help please!" He rushed over.

"Since when are you in the show?"

"I'm a chorus girl. Fill-in. Don't ask me, it's Reece's decision."

"Alright," he shrugged and pulled out his hair spray. I was hopeless with hair, but Eric was very good and very fast. Within minutes I had a workable 'do.

"Thanks so much," I said before jumping out of my chair and rushing back to costumes.

"Anyone have any extra tights?" I asked the room at large.

"There should be some on that shelf back there," Jessica said, pointing.

"Character shoes?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow, looked around, and shrugged.

"Shit, shit, shit," I said, grabbing the tights and pulling them on.

"Bella, Jenny left her shoes over here," said another one of the chorus girls.

"Oh, thanks so much Tina!" I said, rushing over.

"Curtain in 5!"

"Thank you 5!"

I pulled on the shoes. They had taps on them, but I wasn't going to be tapping. There was no way. I'd go on for the scenes she stood or talked in, but I couldn't tap. I wondered again why Reece would make me get into costume and make-up just to say one line and stand on stage. It would be so much easier just to have one of the other girls say the line.

I hadn't been on stage since high school. I was now a sophomore in college, and since I'd come here I'd done nothing but back-stage work, mostly set work like painting. I needed another cigarette, but there wasn't time. I went back to see Angela, the props mistress.

"Angela, I'm sorry but I don't know how much I can be back here tonight, Reece has me filling in for a chorus girl."

"Really?" she asked. "Alright, well don't worry about it. Go follow the other girls, I don't want you missing any entrances."

"Thanks," I said, giving her a quick hug. Angela was my favorite. I quickly followed her advice and found Tina.

"Alright Tina, I'm just going to follow you guys. I know the line, but I'm not sure about the entrances and stuff."

"That's fine," said Tina. "We go on for the first scene and pose for Tyler, you know, he plays the photographer."

"Right," I said, nodding. I knew all of the actors, chorus and bit parts included.

"After that," she said, "we exit with everyone else for the first song."

I nodded. "Sounds easy enough." I took a deep breath.

"Places!" we heard Lauren say softly as she passed. "Twinkle, everyone!"

Twinkle was what Reece always told us before we went on stage, before every rehearsal, and before pictures. She thought we had more energy and stage presence if we were trying really hard to twinkle. She was weird, but we loved her.

"Come on," Tina said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the curtain. "Where's Amy?"

"I'm right here," whispered Amy, appearing behind us. Then we heard the first notes from the orchestra pit. We waited nervously until the curtains opened, then we walked out on stage.

At first I was blinded by the stage lights. I'd forgotten about that part. I blinked a few times but kept smiling. Tina, Amy, and I giggled and posed for the photographer, thinking 'twinkle' to myself. This kind of thing wasn't really my specialty, but I did what I had to. I preferred to stay behind the curtain. Once the photographer walked away, we were just supposed to stand there in character and try not to be noticed. I decided to check out the audience, to see if we had a full house or not. I glanced out past the stage. I couldn't see everything clearly, because of the stage lights in my eyes, but I could tell we were pretty full. That was good. My eyes raked the crowd.

I froze. Someone in the third row, sitting directly in front of me, had caught my eye. He was looking right at me. I was held captive by his beautiful, deep eyes. I couldn't tell what color they were from the stage, but they looked light, maybe blue, green, or light hazel. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

I jumped. Someone had kicked the back of my leg. I turned a little and saw Tina behind me, subtly trying to get me to walk off stage. I kicked myself mentally. I hadn't been paying attention, and now everyone was off stage except the main actor, me, Tina, and Amy, who had thankfully stayed with me. I loved them for it but I felt bad, so I just giggled characteristically and skipped my way off stage.

"I'm so sorry, guys!" I whispered to them.

"It's ok," said Tina.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"I don't know, I guess I just blanked," I said.

I spent the rest of the first act concentrating very hard and studiously not thinking about the mysterious boy in the third row. I allowed myself to think about him during intermission while I smoked my two cigarettes, but after that I went back to concentrating on following Tina and Amy. I got out my one line just fine, and finally it was time for the curtain call.

I couldn't resist taking another peek. I glanced slyly toward where he was sitting. There he was, still sitting there, still staring at me. Once again, I got caught up in his eyes, but this time I was prepared, and I wrenched myself away in time to catch what was happening. I smiled and bowed at the right times, then waited for the curtain fall. I got out of there after it closed, not waiting around for it to open up again. I got out of costume fast and back into my back stage clothes, wiping off my lipstick as I went. I quickly said my goodbyes and started walking toward the back door, but then I stopped. That door led out to the parking lot, but I hadn't driven here. I had walked from my dorm. I didn't want to walk around the entire building, especially at this late hour. To go out the front door on the campus side, I would have to go through the house. That would mean risking seeing the mysterious boy.

But was that such a bad thing? He was so gorgeous…what if I never saw him again? I decided that I _wanted _to go through the house. I turned around and went back on stage. The stars were all being hugged and presented with flowers, so I slipped past them.

"Call tomorrow at 6!" Lauren was saying to anyone who passed.

"Thank you 6," I said, not caring if she heard me or not. I didn't look up until I got down the steps.

"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed. "Sorry!" I had nearly run into someone standing at the bottom of the steps, no doubt taking flowers up to someone. I started to walk around them, still not looking up.

"It's no problem," I heard a velvet voice say, making me freeze. I turned around and looked up. It was him. And his eyes were green. He was also very tall, thin, but still muscled, and pale, with copper hair.

"Oh," I said softly.

"I was hoping you'd come back through here," he said. "I considered going around and waiting by the parking lot, but I didn't know if you lived on campus or not. Plus, I didn't want to seem like a stalker." He paused for a minute as I stared at him. "Sorry," he said. "I probably still seem like a stalker. I only wanted to tell you I thought you did wonderfully tonight."

I laughed. "I'm just a fill-in," I said quietly. _Turn around and leave, _I told myself. I almost couldn't do it, but then I did. I turned around and put one foot in front of the other.

"Wait," he said. I couldn't help but obey. His sweet, silky voice had some weird power over me. I stopped before I had even taken my second step and turned back around to face him. Wow, he was beautiful.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't mean to offend you in anyway, or come across as rude. I was entirely sincere in what I said. You did a great job."

"All I did was stand there," I said. "Why are you singling me out? What about Katie, the girl who played Hope? She did a better job than I did."

He shrugged. "To be quite honest, I didn't even watch her. You held my full attention."

I was silent. What was there to say to that? After a moment, I murmured a thank you and turned around and walked away again. This time he didn't stop me. I desperately wished that my hair was down so that I could use it as a shield, but Eric had done a good job on it. It wasn't going anywhere. I kept my eyes to the floor as I walked away. When I got to the door, I chanced a look back. He was still standing there, watching me.

_A/N: I'm not going to beg for reviews, but...you know...if you want to... Also, a whole batch of cookies and a shout out to anyone who can guess what play they're doing! Thanks for reading!_


	2. Restless

_A/N: This is a short chapter, it's really just a transition. I'll post chapter 3 tomorrow, where something actually happens. Enjoy!_

Ch. 2

**Restless**

Jenny was back the next night, so I went back to helping Angela with props

Jenny was back the next night, so I went back to helping Angela with props. I was a little distracted, and had been since last night. I couldn't believe I had walked away from the mysterious boy. I of course hadn't told anyone about him. What was there to say? He was beautiful, he had noticed me, and I had walked away. I was just too shy.

For a second, I wanted to go back on stage so that I could see if he was in the audience again. Then I came to my senses. Of course he wouldn't have come back, he'd already seen the show. I sighed to myself.

"You ok?" asked Angela.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "Just tired. Late night last night."

She nodded, so I went back to my musings. What would I do if he was back? I knew I would never go back out there again. I was terrified. Something about him scared me. Not because I was afraid of him, but because I was afraid of the way he made me feel. I had never felt anything like it before. I didn't know how to handle it.

The show finally ended. I helped Angela make sure all the props were back in their places.

"See you tomorrow at 6?" said Angela.

"Yeah," I said, still distracted. "See you tomorrow."

I decided to go around the building tonight. I didn't want to go through the house again. Besides, the mystery guy surely wouldn't be there tonight. So, I went out the back, lighting a cigarette as soon as I was outside.

My dorm wasn't too far from the theater. I started to get on the elevator, since I lived on the fourth floor, but I decided to stop by a friend's room on the first floor first. I walked down the hallway, nodding at people as I passed. I technically wasn't supposed to be here without an escort, but I was down here so often that they really didn't care. I came to room 131 and knocked.

"Bella!" exclaimed the boy who answered. He was tall, with long, straight black hair in a ponytail and deep russet skin. He also had a beautiful smile that I loved.

"Hey, Jacob," I said.

"How was the show?" he asked.

"It went pretty well," I said. "Did I tell you I was in it last night?" I sat down on the edge of his roommate's bed, and he sat across from me on his bed.

"No way! I would have come!" he exclaimed.

"I had one line," I said, blushing. "And it was really last minute. Literally, they told me 5 minutes before house opened."

"Wow. How did you learn the part so fast?"

"I told you, it was just one line, and I already knew the line."

"Sweet," he said. "Do you know everyone's lines?"

I shrugged. "Pretty much. I've watched every rehearsal."

"I guess that's true," he said.

"Where's Paul?" I asked. Paul was Jacob's roommate. He had a bit of a temper, and he never really talked to me, but overall he was an ok guy.

"I think he's visiting his girlfriend," he said. I nodded.

"Lisa?" I asked.

"No, they broke up," he said.

"He's got a new one already?" I asked, not really surprised.

"Yeah," said Jacob, "it's not getting girls that he has trouble with, it's keeping them. I think this one's name is Ashley."

"That Paul," I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah," he said. "So how about you? Any new men in your life?" He sounded hopeful. I grimaced inwardly. Jacob had been hinting at us dating all semester, but I just didn't feel that way about him. He was my best friend, like a brother, but nothing more.

"Actually," I said, deciding to take a chance, "I kind of met someone yesterday."

"What do you mean 'kind of' met someone?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, I made a fan, I suppose you could say. There was this guy waiting for me when I came of stage to tell me how good I did."

"Really?" said Jacob skeptically. "A guy you didn't know? And you only had one line?" I nodded. "What was his name?"

I just looked at him.

"You don't know his name?" asked Jacob.

"Actually, no, I don't. He never said."

Jacob laughed. "So, the answer to my question is no, there is no new man in your life."

I laughed, too, but it was fake. I couldn't believe I didn't know his name. And I hadn't even realized it. It almost hadn't seemed important, but of course it was.

"Anyway," I told Jacob, "I think I'm gonna go up to my dorm. I'm really tired."

"Alright," said Jacob. "You sure you don't want to stay the night? I bet Paul doesn't come back tonight."

"Oh, no, that's alright," I said. "I plan on sleeping in, plus I really need a shower."

"Ok," he said. "If you change your mind, I'll be here."

"Alright, thanks," I smiled at him. "Goodnight."

"Night, Bells," he said, giving me a hug.

After that I went straight to my room and got in the shower. I hated that I didn't know his name now. I wanted to see him again. I wished I hadn't just run off while I had him there. It was a huge mistake. What were the odds of seeing him again?

I kicked myself mentally. If I ever did see him again, I decided, I would just have to toughen up and talk to him. If he wasn't interested in me, then that would be ok. It's not like I would be asking him to marry me or anything…I just wanted to talk to him. Get to know him a little bit. Or learn his name, at the very least.

I almost cried right there, in the shower. What if I never saw him again? I couldn't stand that thought. The worst part of it was that I felt like I didn't know myself anymore. I had never even had a boyfriend, and here I was about to cry over some boy whose name I didn't even know. It just wasn't like me. I was too distracted to do anything. I'd hardly talked to Angela or Jake, even though they're my best friends. I hadn't paid any attention to what was going on backstage. I had to do something about this situation. It was getting a little out of control.

I sighed, trying to remember if I'd conditioned my hair yet or not. I finally gave up and just got out. I laid in bed for nearly an hour, but I just couldn't go to sleep. I gave up on that, too, and got on my computer. I decided I would try to find this guy on facebook, though it was hopeless without his name. I searched through countless guys in my school's network. I couldn't find him. Finally, at about 3:00 in the morning, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and fell asleep.

That night I dreamed I was on stage by myself, with an audience full of mysterious green-eyed, bronze haired strangers giving me a standing ovation. Then one of the strangers came up on stage and offered me a single red rose. He smiled beautifully at me, and then I woke up. I grumbled and turned off my alarm clock. I had to give up hope. I was never going to see him again.

_A/N: So, thanks to all my readers and reviewers so far! I have to admit, I actually didn't expect to get any reviews at all, so really, thanks :). For those of you who are confused about the whole 'Thank you 6' thing, that's just a theater etiquette thing. 6 refers to 6 minutes, or 6:00. If they say call at 6, it just means that everyone has to be there at 6. If they say house in 5, it means there are 5 minutes until they let the audience in. Anyone who hears is supposed to say 'thank you 5' so that the stage manager knows they heard. Sorry for not being clear about all that._

_Also, someone said something about Bella smoking. I can't speak for all theaters, but where I live, theater people are notorious for their bad language and smoking habits. I made Bella a smoker because that's a little of what differentates my Bella from Stephanie Meyers' Bella. I tried not to change her too much, but I knew Stephanie's Bella wouldn't be a theater kid, so I just changed a couple of little things, like the smoking and a little bit of language, though I tried to keep it fairly clean. Anyway, sorry I'm ranting. Reviews are appreciated!_


	3. Saying Sorry

_A/N: I hope this chapter is better than the last one. Enjoy!_

Ch. 3

**Saying Sorry**

"Hey Bella, a bunch of people are going to go grab a bite at J-J's," asked Angela after the show the next night. "You want to come?"

"Sure," I said. "You think we could ride together? I'm really low on gas, and my cars at my dorm. I'll pay you back later if you want me to, though."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "You've given me rides plenty of times before."

"Alright, thanks," I said. "Ok, I need a smoke. I'll meet you in the parking lot?"

"Sure thing," she said. "I've got to go talk to Lauren about something, I'll be out there in a minute."

"Ok," I said. I grabbed my purse, pulling out a cigarette and my lighter as I walked. I walked out the already open door and leaned against the outside of the building, inhaling deeply.

"Smoking's not very good for you."

I choked on my smoke. Once I got finished coughing, I looked up through watery eyes to see _him_. He was there, right in front of me. _Oh my gosh, _I thought to myself, _he can't see me like this! Twinkle, damn it!_

"Sorry," he said, though he didn't look it. He was grinning crookedly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright," I choked.

"You weren't on stage tonight," he commented. "Or last night."

"I told you I was just a fill-in," I said. "It was a one night thing. I'm not an actress."

He raised an eyebrow. "You could have fooled me. You had amazing…stage presence."

I shook my head. "Being on the stage isn't my thing. I'm a behind the scenes kind of girl."

He nodded. "I can see that. But I still think you'd make a great actress."

"Well…" I said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said.

"So, you came back and watched show again?" I asked. "Twice?"

"I wanted to see you again."

"Oh." I was breathless.

"I couldn't find you yesterday, though," he said.

"So…does this count as stalking?" I asked.

He laughed. "I promise I don't mean it that way, and I don't usually do this. But I had to do what I could to see you. I wasn't even sure you'd be here, but I thought I'd give it a shot."

I shook my head. "You always seem to know exactly where to be."

"Yeah, I've been fairly lucky so far," he said, smiling a gorgeously sexy crooked smile.

"Bella!" I looked around. Jessica had come out after me, and she was smiling at my guy. "Who's this?"

"Oh, uh…" I looked at him for help.

"Edward," he told her, holding out his hand. She shook it, giving him another disgusting smile that I didn't very much like.

His name was Edward. Somehow, that fit him very well, and it was terribly romantic. I found myself repeating it in my head. Edward, Edward, Edward, Edward.

"So, Bella is it?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Bella."

"That's a lovely name."

"Thank you." I blushed, once again.

"And I'm Jessica," interjected Jessica. "We were just leaving to go to J-J's. Would you like to come, Edward?"

He looked at me. "Sure. Why not."

"Do you need a ride?" she asked. I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or Edward. My guess was Edward.

"I'm riding with Angela," I said.

"Well, you can ride with me there, Edward," said Jessica. "Unless you'd rather drive?"

Edward looked from me to Jessica, obviously a little confused.

"Oh, uh," he said. "I guess I'll drive."

"Oh. Alright," she said sharply. "I'll see you there." She walked off toward her car. Edward looked back at me.

"Would you like to ride with me?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I already told Angela I'd ride with her, like I said."

"Right," he said. "Sorry. I just thought maybe you were making that up so you wouldn't have to ride with her." He jerked his head toward Jessica. I gave him a questioning look.

"How would you even know that I didn't want to ride with her?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I'm pretty good at reading people, although I must say, I find you particularly difficult to read."

I heard someone else come out. This time, it was Angela. She looked at Edward, surprised, and then back at me. I suddenly realized I'd forgotten all about my cigarette. Apparently I'd dropped it to the ground without really even paying attention. I stared at it. I'd barely smoked any of it.

"Hey, Bella," Angela said, catching my attention once again. "Do you still need a ride?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me stealing her away, I'm going to J-J's as well," said Edward. "Angela, I presume."

"Yes," she said, giving him a friendly smile, then glancing at me slyly.

"I'm Edward," he said. They shook hands.

"Actually," said Angela, "I was thinking I might catch a ride with Ben. You go ahead and ride with Edward, Bella." She gave me another sly look. I raised my eyebrows and opened my mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. Angela laughed. "I'll see you there," she said, and walked off.

I looked up at Edward. He was grinning at me.

"So," he said. "What in the world is J-J's?"

I laughed. "It's a really greasy restaurant we always haunt after shows. Kind of a tradition, I suppose."

"Sounds delightful," he said. I shrugged. "So…shall we go?"

"Yes, we shall," I said.

He drove a Volvo. A shiny, silver one.

"What kind of college student drives a Volvo?" I mumbled. Edward laughed.

"My dad's…pretty well off," he said. I rolled my eyes. Great. So I'd picked up a rich kid.

"Alright, let's go," I said. I wasn't mad at Edward. On the contrary, I was still very nervous about being here with him, but I was trying to hide that behind that fact that I _was _angry with Jessica and Angela. I expected it from Jessica, she's a big flirt, and Edward was gorgeous. But I couldn't believe Angela would practically force me to ride with Edward. What if he was unsafe? I still wasn't sure that he wasn't. He'd already labeled himself a stalker. What else was he?

"I'm sorry," Edward said.

"For what?" I asked. "Why do you keep apologizing?"

He shrugged. "Making you feel uncomfortable. Forcing my company upon you. Stalking you. Driving a Volvo." He grinned. I snorted.

"I'm not uncomfortable," I said. "And I'm not mad at you for driving a Volvo."

"So why are you mad?" he asked.

I made the mistake of looking at him when he said that. I got caught in his eyes again. They were just so beautiful.

"I'm not mad at you," I said. "I'm mad at Angela. And you don't make me uncomfortable, you make me nervous." I couldn't help but tell him the truth.

"Nervous?" he said. "I'm sorry."

"Please," I said, "quit apologizing."

He opened his mouth, then shut it. I smiled. I knew he'd been about to say he was sorry again.

"I just feel like you don't like me very much," Edward said. I looked at him again. He looked kind of sad. He caught my eyes again, and my heart broke.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to make you think that."

There was a pause, during which we both stared at the road in front of us.

"Is it true?" he finally asked.

"That I don't like you?" I asked. "No. Like I said, I'm just nervous. I don't…deal with that very well."

"Where's this restaurant?" he asked.

I sighed and gave him directions. Then I made a decision.

"Actually…" I said. "Let's not go to J-J's."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Ok," he said.

I was glad he didn't ask me why, because I would have told him the truth. The truth was that I was sorry I'd hurt him. I wanted to be with him. There was some irrational part of me that I'd let gain control, and now I didn't want to share him with anyone, especially Jessica. I knew she'd try to steal him.

I couldn't believe I was thinking that way. He wasn't mine to steal. But I knew that wasn't true. From the first time I'd looked into his eyes from that stage, I'd known he was mine. It scared me.

Then there was the fact that I couldn't imagine this divine being sitting amongst all my sketchy theater friends.

"Bella."

Wow I loved the way my name sounded coming from his lips.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I think you look beautiful tonight."

My heart missed a beat.

"Thank you," I whispered. No one had ever called me beautiful before, and now the most beautiful person I had ever seen was.

I hadn't been paying attention to where we were going, but now we were pulling in somewhere. I looked up for a sign. It read _Florence._ I raised an eyebrow. A restaurant named after an Italian city? It looked incredibly fancy and expensive.

"It's 10:30, are you sure this place is open?" I asked.

"They're only open at night," said Edward. "From 7 to midnight. They don't really care about making money, though of course they do. They're already filthy rich. This is just a hobby."

"Oh," I said. "Do you know them?"

"Acquaintances of my father's, yes."

"What does your father do?"

"He's a doctor."

"Oh."

"Don't judge us," he said.

"Excuse me?"

He smiled. "I know what you're doing. You think we're all just snobby rich people, but Carlisle's not in it for the money. He's a great man."

I felt extremely embarrassed. I didn't believe in being judgmental, and here I was judging this family I'd never met, while the one member I had met was incredibly nice.

"Sorry," I said. "So…you call him Carlisle? I'm not judging you, I'm just curious."

"It's alright," said Edward, smiling. "And yes, I call him Carlisle. He's not my real father, I'm actually adopted."

"Oh really?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Me , my sister Alice, and my brother Emmett are all adopted."

"That's cool."

"Yes," he said. "Like I said, Carlisle's a great man."

"Did you ever know your parents?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "Or my mother, at least. She died of cancer when I was seven."

"I'm sorry," I said.

He smiled at me. "It's alright. I love my new family. So, shall we go in?'

"Oh. I suppose. I'm really not dressed for this kind of place."

"Nonsense," he said. "You look great."

Back stage hands were required to wear all black, so I was wearing black skinny jeans, black converses, and a black tank-top. I raised an eyebrow at him. He laughed.

"Trust me," he said, "you'll be fine."

_A/N: Once again, thanks to all my readers and reviewers. So far, no one has even attempted to guess what play they're doing, so I'll give a couple of hints. It's a musical that takes place entirely aboard a ship. It's by Cole Porter. The main characters' names are Hope, Billy, Reno, and Moony, along with several others. One of the songs is called Delovely. If you can't figure it out with these clues and the ones in the story, you've probably never seen the play, so I'll just tell you next time, haha. Just thought it would be fun to see if anyone knew it._

_Anyway, thanks for reading! A piece of cake to anyone who reviews! Yay cake!_

_Oh, and I'm also working on another story involving much more excitement and some vampires! I just started it, and I don't know if it will work out, but I'm hoping it will, so stay tuned!_


	4. All About Us

_A/N: Finally, a chapter with Edward in it! Yay! Enjoy._

Ch. 4

**All About Us**

I hardly paid attention to what was inside the restaurant, because Edward had my hand. If I'd had any doubts about my feelings for him before then, they were gone now. The instant his skin touched mine it was like an electric shock ran through my body and all thoughts left my mind. I barely knew him, and yet I knew now that I could never be without him again. This thought frightened me terribly. I'd always been a very independent person, and the idea of needing someone this badly didn't set well with me.

But that hardly mattered now. I looked up into Edward's eyes and knew that whatever might happen it would be worth it if I could just be with him. He looked back at me, those green eyes capturing me once again.

"Two?" I heard a voice ask. I looked up to see a pretty red-headed girl with too much eye-liner staring at Edward.

"Yes," said Edward. "Two. And would you mind if we had one of the private booths in the back?"

"I'm sorry, sir," she said, batting her eyelids, "those booths are for exclusive customers and by reservation only."

"Right," said Edward, "and friends of Mr. Leopold. I think you'll find a list over there," he inclined his head, "with my name on it. I'm Edward Cullen."

I looked at him sharply, and the girl's eyes widened.

"Oh!" she said. "Terribly sorry, Mr. Cullen, right this way."

"Cullen?" I whispered fiercely. He gave me his crooked grin, and I melted.

"What can I get you to drink?" asked the girl, now openly flirting with Edward and ignoring me.

"Bella?" Edward never even looked at her.

"Um…a coke, I guess."

"We'll have a coke and a water." He reached out across the table and grabbed my hand. The waitress saw this and gave me an evil look. I grinned at Edward. The waitress left and my smile faded.

"Cullen?" I said again. I couldn't believe it. Dr. Cullen was famous in our city. He was the wealthiest man in town, the one with the huge house on the hill. Everyone knew he'd adopted three unfortunate kids, but somehow I hadn't pieced it together. He was our celebrity.

"Yes, my father is Dr. Cullen," he said patiently.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Does it matter?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…no…" I looked at the table. There I went again, judging him.

"Look," said Edward, "I don't go around thinking 'Oh, hey, I'm Dr. Cullen's kid! I should tell everyone!' but that's the way everyone sees me. I try not to tell people my last name. I only did tonight because I really wanted us to have this booth."

"Yeah, well, you got that and the waitress's attention," I mumbled.

"What?" He honestly looked confused.

"What, like you didn't notice how that waitress was flirting with you?"

"Honestly no," he said, surprised.

"Oh. Well, anyway, sorry, once again, for being so immature."

"Quit apologizing," he said, smiling. I looked him in the eye and forgot what we were talking about.

"Aren't you going to look at your menu?" he asked.

"Oh…" I came out of my trance. "Actually I'm not really very hungry."

"Me either," said Edward. "A basket of bread sticks? I hate to come in and not order anything at all."

"That's fine," I said.

The waitress was back in a minute, looking sulky. We gave her our order while she made one last attempt at capturing Edward's attention before she left.

"So," said Edward. "I don't know much about you."

"I don't know much about you either," I pointed out.

"20 questions?" he proposed. I laughed.

"What a cliché."

He shrugged.

"Alright," I said. "How old are you?"

"I'm 19," he said. "How old are you?"

"The same," I said, surprised. I had thought he was older. "Do you go to school here?"

"Yes," he said. "What's your major?"

"Hm…" I said. "Well…theater, I guess, but that's really not what I want to do. What's yours?"

"Music Education," he said.

"You want to teach music?" I asked, surprised. That wasn't what I had expected.

He just smiled. "It's my turn. If you don't want to do theater, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," I said. "I'm still trying to figure that out. Why do you want to teach music?"

He shrugged. "I love music. I've been playing the piano since I was young. And I think teachers are very important."

I nodded slowly. "Yes, they are."

"Any family?" he asked.

"Just two parents," I said. "Divorced."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be. They divorced practically at my birth, I'm fine with it. They don't belong together. What about your family. What are they like?"

"Well there's Carlisle, the good doctor, his wife Esme, who is the kindest soul you'll ever meet. Then there's Emmett, who's incredibly loveable and unbelievably huge, and Alice, who's just the opposite. She's tiny and sweet but completely evil. In a good way, though," he clarified. "Don't ever try to judge my family by their looks, it doesn't work."

I laughed. "They sound fascinating. I'd love to meet them."

"They would love you," he said. I smiled.

"Next question," he said. "I don't suppose you have a boyfriend?"

"No," I said. "Any girlfriends?"

"Yes, five," he said sarcastically. "Why was that plural?"

I shrugged. "You didn't answer my question." He grinned.

"No," he said. "I do not have a girlfriend."

"Do you live on campus?" I asked.

"Hey," he protested, "it's my turn."

"You asked why my question was plural, that counts as a question." He rolled his eyes.

A basket of bread sticks appeared on our table. We looked up to see our waitress stalking off. I laughed.

"Yes, I do live on campus," said Edward.

"Hm," I said. "Didn't expect that."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because you're rich and your parents live in town," I said.

"I like living on campus," he said.

"What dorm do you live in?" I asked.

"Burris," he said. "You?"

"Bradley."

"That's a pretty nice dorm," he commented. I nodded.

"So is Burris."

We went on like this for over an hour, barely touching the bread sticks. We finally realized that it was past 11:30, so we paid for the bread sticks and left. Edward left a very good tip.

"I guess I should take you back to your dorm, then?" Edward asked.

"I guess," I said, pulling out a cigarette. "I don't really want to go home yet, though."

"Why do you smoke, Bella?" Edward asked, plucking the cigarette out of my hand. I scowled at him.

"Why?" he asked. "It's really not good for you. I don't like it."

"Well it's my choice, isn't it?" I said shortly. I hated it when people told me I shouldn't smoke, because I knew they were righted. I secretly hated myself for smoking.

"I'm not trying to control your life," he said. "I just hate to see you hurt yourself."

I sighed. "I know. It's just…a lot of the people in the theater department smoke. I picked it up there. I know it's bad for me, but it calms me down a little. Makes me feel a little more comfortable."

"Just for a minute though," he said. "And at a high price."

"Yeah, I know," I said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"Would you do me a huge favor?" he asked.

"What?"

"Try to quit?"

"That's going to be hard," I said. "I'm around it all the time."

"I think you're stronger than you think you are Bella Swan."

I shook my head.

"I think you think too much of me," I argued.

He smiled. "Maybe so." I frowned. "Of course I'm not serious," he chuckled. "I have complete confidence in you. Anyway, we're here."

I looked up. We were sitting in the parking lot of my dorm.

"So we are," I said. "So, show tomorrow is at 2:00, not 6. Sunday matinee, you know."

"Are you hinting at something?" he asked, grinning crookedly.

I just shrugged. "See you tomorrow."

His grin broadened and he shook his head. "Bella Swan…"

"Yes Edward?"

He sighed. "You're just too much for me."

"Oh I doubt that," I said. Then I smiled and closed the car door. I smiled to myself as I walked to the front door. I was pretty proud of how I was able to handle that. Once I'd put away my nervousness, I thought I'd done a pretty good job. I felt wonderful, like I'd never felt before. I couldn't stop smiling. That didn't last long, however. When I got to my door, I noticed something odd about the floor in front of it. Jake was sitting on it, asleep against the door.

_A/N: So someone guessed the play, it was Anything Goes, which is a really cute and funny musical. If any of you get the chance to see it and/or be in it, go for it. It's lots of fun._

_Hope you guys liked the chapter! Thanks to my readers and reviewers, I love you guys!_


	5. Altogether Breathtaking

_A/N: This chapter's pretty short, but it's also early. I was planning on only updating this story once a day, but...sometimes I can't help myself. Anyway, short and to the point with an appearance by America's favorite werewolf!_

Ch. 5

**Altogether Breathtaking**

I looked down at Jacob and nudged him with my toe.

"Jake?" I asked.

"Hm? Bella?" he jumped up. "Bella! Bella, where have you been? I've been so worried about you!"

"Jacob, what are you talking about? What are you doing here?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Angela called me looking for you, she said you went off with some guy and weren't answering your phone!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well that's what she gets for making me leave with him."

"What? Bella! Answer my question! Where have you been?" He was yelling now.

"Who are you, my dad?" I yelled back. "I went on a date, alright? It's none of your business!"

"A date?" he shouted. "With a guy you don't even know? Do you even know how dangerous that is?"

"I can take care of myself, Jacob Black," I spat. "I don't need you to screen every guy I meet, I can go out with anyone I damn well please."

"You say you can take care of yourself," he growled, "and yet I don't see it happening!"

"Jacob, what are you talking about? I'm fine! Edward was a perfect gentleman!"

"Edward?" he said incredulously. "Edward? His name is Edward?"

I couldn't believe him. He was so immature. "Does it matter what his name is, Jacob?"

He looked livid. He was breathing hard now, and shaking. After a second of glaring at each other, he calmed down a little. I think he realized how ridiculous he was being.

"Look, Bella, I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt."

I rolled my eyes again.

"Is there a problem out here, Bella?" We looked around. My R.A., Misty, had come out. I felt bad. She was in her pajamas, and it looked like we'd woken her up.

"I'm so sorry," I said. I glared at Jacob. "I think you should leave, Jake."

He glared at me for a minute, then nodded.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, Isabella," he said, then he left. I stared after him. He had never called me Isabella before.

"You ok?" Misty asked.

"Yes," I said. "I'm fine. Sorry we woke you."

She nodded sleepily. "It's alright. Good night."

"Good night," I replied, unlocking my door. I got out my phone and looked at the screen. My mouth dropped open. I had 17 missed calls. I must have left my phone on silent after the play. Most of them were from Jacob, but several were from Angela. I suddenly felt really guilty about not telling her that we'd decided not to go to J-J's. I quickly called her.

"Bella?" she answered. "Oh my gosh, thank goodness, I was worried about you! I felt so bad!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured her. "But that's what you get for forcing me on a date like that." I tried to make it light so she wouldn't feel bad about it.

"Yeah," she laughed, "sorry about that. I was worried about it later, but when I saw you two I knew it would be ok. You should have seen the way you guys were looking at each other. I could tell it was love."

"What?" I asked.

"How long have you two known each other and why haven't you every mentioned him before?"

"I just met him Thursday night," I said. "And I had only just found out his name when you came out!"

"What?" she exclaimed. "Really? Well it must have been love at first sight then. There was certainly something there between you two."

"Really?" I asked. "Wow. Yeah, well, I saw him from the stage on Thursday when I was filling in for Jenny. I felt it then."

"Wow, that's so romantic," she said. "So how did your date go?"

"It went well. Oh my gosh, guess who he is?"

"Who?"

"Edward Cullen!"

"Dr. Cullen's son?" she asked shocked.

"Yes! He drives a freakin' Volvo!"

She laughed. "Way to go Bells. What a catch."

I laughed. "Seriously. Good catch doesn't even begin to cover him. He's so…romantic and kind of old fashioned. He's altogether breathtaking."

"That's great, Bella, I'm very happy for you," she said sincerely. "When will you see him again?"

"Tomorrow," I said.

"Awesome!"

"I know! Oh, and I'm so sorry about not answering when you called, my phone was still on silent from the show."

"It's alright," she said. "Now that I know you're safe."

"Yeah," I said, "Jacob not so much. He's pissed."

"Yeah I know," she said. I could almost hear her grimace. "Sorry about that. I got a little worried, so I called him, thinking he might know if you'd made it back to the dorm or not. Apparently that was a mistake."

"He'll be alright," I said. "He's just really protective. Apparently I can't take care of myself."

"You sure he'll be ok?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said. "This isn't the first time he's done this. I think part of it's also jealousy."

"Yeah I kind of guessed that," said Angela. "I'm afraid he's very taken with you."

I sighed. "I know. It's kind of a problem. I love Jacob, but he's like a brother to me."

"Well maybe now that you've got Edward he'll back off a bit," she said.

"Maybe," I said. "Or it might make him give up and not be my friend anymore."

"Oh, I hope not," she said.

"Me too. Anyway, I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow at noon?"

"Ok," she said. "Good night, see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Ang."

_A/N: I think altogether breathtaking is a good way to describe Edward._

_So, the person who guessed Anything Goes correctly was bella-loves-edward, but she cheated, so only one cookie for you, haha. Just kidding, you can have the whole batch. Or whatever I promised you...I don't remember..._

_And to distorted realities: I agree, stage hands totally do rock. I do a little of both, acting and backstage stuff, but stage hands are always the coolest people. Most of them at least._

_So anyway, thanks so much to my reviewers, but also to my silent readers, if I have any, and I encourage you to speak up! Encouragement's always good, this is my first story I've posted, keep me motivated!_

_News on my other story: it's coming along nicely and I have a good feeling about it, but I'm never know if I'm going to finish a story until it's over. I will give you a little synopsis, though. It's about a vampire who comes to meet the Cullens before Bella arrives, and she's after Edward. It's got excitement, love, lust, angst, humor, and...some other stuff I haven't written yet. It's also slightly exotic. This main character isn't from America. Or Europe. I think you'll like it. Let me know if you think it's a good idea! It is as of now unnamed, so we're going to call it...Blossoms of Love? Yeah, that works for now. Who knows. I guess also let me know if you think of a good story title, haha._

_Sorry I talk so much..._


	6. Burris Hall

Ch. 6

**Burris Hall**

He was there the next night, just like I knew he would be. I could hardly concentrate on anything I was doing, I was so full of anticipation. It was a good thing I didn't have a big important job in that show. As soon as the show was over I slipped outside, hoping to get a smoke in before I saw Edward. I pulled it out and lit it before I was even out the door.

"I thought you said you were going to try to quit?"

I looked up, eyes wide. He was already there waiting for me, leaned against the wall, looking even more gorgeous than I'd remembered.

"Edward," I said, glancing at the lit cigarette in my hand. "Didn't you watch the show?"

He shook his head, then strode forward and plucked the cigarette from my hand.

"I already knew you weren't in the show, so I just came here to wait for you to come out."

"How did you know I would come here?" I asked. "I thought you would be in the house."

He grinned. "I knew you'd try to sneak a smoke. How many have you had today?"

"Just one," I said irritably. He was going to make this very hard for me, I could tell. "That would have been my second one."

"You've done pretty well," he said, smiling at me.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. "Now can I please have my smoke? You don't want to see me without it, I can get pretty grumpy."

"I'll risk it," he sad, putting it out. I glared at him. He chuckled.

"You're asking quite a bit of me," I remarked.

"I don't want a bit of you." My breath caught in my throat. He was standing so close to me now. "I want all of you."

We jumped apart. The door had opened. We spun around and looked to see Angela grinning at us.

"Hey Bella," she said. "Hello Edward."

"Hey Ang," I said, blushing furiously.

"Angela, nice to see you again," said Edward politely. "I'm terribly sorry for stealing Bella away yesterday. I hope you weren't worried?"

Angela laughed. "You don't sound sorry," she said, making Edward grin.

"Well, you have me there," he said. "But I do hope you weren't worried."

She shrugged. "No harm done. Anyway, I was just leaving, so I'll see you later Bella."

"See ya," I said, blushing. I glanced at Edward out of the corner of my eye. He was smiling at me. His smile was so beautiful.

Angela walked away. As soon as she was out of sight, I found my hand in Edward's. He was pulling me toward the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"My dorm?"

"Your dorm?"

He opened the passenger door for me, so I got in. I looked over at him once he got in the car.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Edward asked, seeming genuinely concerned. "Is there somewhere else you'd rather go?"

"No, that's fine," I said, but I felt uncomfortable. Of course that was all he wanted out of me. So why was I going if I knew he was just trying to get into my pants? I honestly didn't know. I guess he'd done a good job of luring me there, because I couldn't bring myself to ask him to take me back to my dorm. So I just sat there and pouted.

"Bella? You ok?"

I looked over at him and almost forgot what I was upset about. He had me in his eyes again.

"Bella?" he looked concerned. "I asked if you were ok?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, momentarily distracted. "I'm fine."

He paused for a moment, looking troubled. "Bella…I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to…you know…take advantage of you or anything like that. I just wanted to spend a little time with you. Just us."

"Oh." I was surprised and embarrassed. "Right, of course not," I said, blushing, "I was just…I don't know…"

He chuckled and brushed his thumb across my cheek. "You're so cute when you blush."

This only made me blush more.

Burris Hall was the very best dorm on campus. I'd only been inside of it a few times. He led me to the elevator and pushed the button for floor 5. It stopped at 2 first, and a few girls got on. They were all skinny to the point of unhealthy with ridiculously dark fake tans and dyed hair in blonde and black. One of the black-haired girls looked over at Edward and smiled.

"Hey, Edward," she said seductively. "We're about to start a party on the 4th floor if you want to come."

"Actually, Bella and I already have plans, but thank you anyway," replied Edward, polite as always.

"Oh," said the girl, looking at me for the first time. "You're with her?"

"Yes, I am," said Edward coolly. All four of the girls looked me up and down, and I could tell they weren't impressed. I didn't look anything like them. I was short and pale with long brown hair that hung around my face. In other words, everything about me was natural, while they were nothing but fake.

"Ok," said the girl, obviously displeased. "Well, I'm Brittney."

"Nice to meet you," I said, though I'm sure I didn't sound nearly as polite as Edward. The elevator stopped.

"Well, this is our floor," she said, giving us a nasty smile. The other girls waved and followed her out. As soon as they were gone I looked up at Edward. He grimaced.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

"How do you know her?" I asked.

"We went to high school together. Brittney was friends with my brother's girlfriend. He tried to hook me up with her once. But nothing ever happened between us. As you can see, she's not a very nice person."

"Oh, yeah, you're brother," I said. "What's his name? Emmett?" The elevator stopped and I followed him out.

"Yeah," said Edward. "Emmett and Alice."

"Who's your brother's girlfriend?"

"Actually, they're engaged now, so I guess it would be fiancé. That's so weird. Anyway…um…her name is Rosalie Hale."

"Rosalie Hale?" I said, stunned. "I know her. I mean, I know _of_ her. She's on the cheerleading squad, she's an aspiring model, she was pretty much the youngest homecoming queen ever. She's like college royalty."

Edward laughed. "Yep, that's Rosalie. She and Emmett are perfect for each other."

"How so?" I asked.

"You'll see," he said, chuckling. "You'll meet him sometime. Here we are."

We were stopped at the door marked room 520. The name tags on the door said Edward and Jasper. Edward pulled out a key.

"Your roommate's name is Jasper?"

"Yep."

"That's cool. You don't hear that name every day."

"You might not," said Edward.

I laughed. "I guess _you_ do."

"Yeah," he said. "Oh, and Jasper is Rosalie Hale's twin brother."

"What?" I said. "Really? Wow."

"We all went to high school together," he said.

Then he opened his door, and before I could register what was happening, I'd had my breath knocked out of me.

_A/N: Cupcakes to anyone who can guess what happened!_

_Ok, so it might be a day or two before I'm able to update again, because I'm going to be out of town for a couple of days. So, I expect a lot of reviews will be waiting for me when I get home, right? Right? wink_

_The next chapter's a good one, I think, so hold your breath._

_Still working on the tentative Blossoms of Love, let me know about it. I might give you a sneak preview sometime soon._

_Thanks to my readers and reviewers!_


	7. Electricity

_A/N: So, sorry it took a little longer than usual, but here's the next chapter! Enjoy!_

Ch. 7

**Electricity**

"Oh, you must be Bella! It's sooo great to finally meet you!" I heard someone squeal, but all I could see was a small black head of hair in my face.

"Alice!" I heard Edward's voice say somewhere above me, and then I was free. I gasped for air, trying to figure out what was happening. Edward was containing a tiny, pixie-like girl with short black hair. A tall, very handsome blonde boy was standing behind them, obviously trying very hard not to laugh.

"Um, Bella, meet my sister, Alice," said Edward, chuckling.

I took a deep breath and smiled nervously. "It's nice to meet you, Alice."

"And this is my roommate Jasper," he said, gesturing to the blonde boy. "He and Alice are dating."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella, we've heard a lot about you," said Jasper smoothly. He had a very soothing voice.

"Really?" I asked him, surprised.

"Yeah," said Alice cheerfully. "Edward won't stop talking about you."

I blushed, and Alice laughed.

"Edward, she's adorable!" she cried.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Calm down Alice," he said, "you're embarrassing her." But I could tell he was pleased.

"Well," said Jasper, looking from me to Edward, "I think Alice and I were just heading out…"

"Yes," said Alice, grabbing up her purse. "You kids have fun. We probably won't be back any time tonight." She winked at me.

"Alright, Alice," said Edward forcefully. "I'll see you later. Oh, and tell Carlisle I'll be stopping by tomorrow afternoon."

"Ok," she said. She gave me another quick hug, this one not quite as painful as the first, and skipped out the door, Jasper following, laughing.

The door shut and Edward and I stood in silence, looking at each other. Finally, Edward laughed, and I joined in.

"So, uh, that was Alice," he said through his laughter.

"Is she always like that?" I asked.

"Yeah, she, uh, has a lot of…energy."

"So I saw," I said. "I feel like a tornado just came through."

Edward laughed. "I think that would be a pretty accurate description."

I suddenly noticed how close we were standing, and I think he did too. I blushed. He grinned crookedly and took my hand. I was having trouble breathing. He placed his other hand on my waist and slid it around to my back, pulling me closer to him. My body was pressed against his. I was barely breathing now. I looked up into his eyes. They were smoldering. Finally, after a long moment of anticipation, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.

I felt like my knees just disappeared. I felt incredibly weak, and yet energy was rushing through my body. My lips felt like they had an electric current running through them. Before I knew it, my hands were running through his hair and I was kissing him back passionately. He wrapped his arms around me firmly and pulled me even closer, as if he was trying to pull me _through_ his body. When he couldn't get me any closer, he actually lifted me up off of the ground. I wrapped my legs around him. He stumbled back and sat down on his bed, then pulled away, gasping.

I breathed in deeply, realizing I'd been holding my breath. I found that I was straddling his lap on his bed and his hair was in disarray. I blushed.

"Sorry," I said quietly. He emitted a low growl that made me weak at the knees again.

"Don't be," he said in a low, husky voice. "Do not ever be sorry for that, that was…wow."

I laughed quietly. "Yeah…wow." He grinned and kissed me again, carefully, lightly. I removed myself from his lap slowly.

"So, uh…we'll have to be careful about that," he said.

"Why?" I asked, leaning forward to push my lips against his again. This time was even worse. My hands pushed their way under his shirt, and his hands grabbed the backs of my thighs, pulling me back up into his lap again. I pushed him back on the bed so that I was laying across him. His tongue grazed my bottom lip and I opened my mouth a little. He pushed me away, gasping again.

"That's why," he gasped.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked breathlessly.

"Too fast," he said. I rolled off of him.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I've never done anything like that before."

"Me either," he said. "I've never felt…wow…"

I laughed. He grabbed my face in his and stroked my lower lip with his thumb. My eyelids fluttered.

"Bella," he said quietly. I opened my eyes and stared into his. "Bella I have never felt this way about anyone before."

"Me either," I said softly.

"You're incredible."

I smiled and kissed him softly, able to control myself this time. I pulled away and smiled at him. He smiled back and stroked my face, then we both jumped. My phone was vibrating.

"Hello?" I answered without looking to see who it was.

"Bella?" _Oh, no, _I thought to myself.

"Yes, Jake?"

"Hey." He paused.

"What is it, Jacob?" I asked, probably a little too sternly. I looked up at Edward. He was watching me intently.

"Um…I'm sorry Bella. About last night. I don't want you to be mad at me. You want to come down to my room and talk?"

"Well, I would, Jacob, and I accept your apology, but I'm kind of busy…"

He didn't answer for a minute.

"You're with him right now, aren't you?" he asked quietly.

I sighed. "Yes."

"Why, Bella?" he said, obviously fuming. "How do you know this guy isn't dangerous? How do you know he isn't just after sex?"

"Jacob, I can't believe you! I just know, ok? Trust me! Why are you so damn protective of me? I can take care of myself!"

"Bella, I just have a bad feeling about this guy! You're just too stubborn to listen to me!"

"Goodbye, Jacob," I said sternly, hanging up. I sat there for a minute, fuming to myself, then I felt Edward's arms wrap around me. I leaned into his warm embrace and buried my face in his shoulder.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"My friend Jacob," I said angrily. "He's kind of like my big brother, only he's younger than I am, and he's really protective of me. For some reason he doesn't like you."

"What?" said Edward, laughing. "He's never even met me."

I shrugged. "That's Jacob. He's not always reasonable. I think he might be a little jealous, too."

"Oh," said Edward. "That's a different story."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Don't be too hard on him, though, he's a good kid, and he really cares about me. We've been friends for a long time. Our Dads are best friends."

Edward nodded. "But let's not worry about him right now," he said, placing a soft kiss just below my ear. My heart fluttered.

_A/N: Good guessing guys! Most of you guessed that it would be either Alice or Emmett! It wasn't Emmett, but that's close enough, so cupcakes for everyone! Love to my reviewers and readers, leave me some love back if you feel the need!_


	8. The Cullens

_A/N: I like this chapter, we get a little Emmett time, and I love me some Emmett. Enjoy._

Ch. 8

**The Cullens**

Dating Edward was wonderful. He was always there when I got out of class somehow, ready to walk me to my next class, take me to lunch, or go to one of our dorms. We spent every moment together. We turned a lot of heads. Apparently Edward was pretty popular on campus, which was understandable considering his looks and his status. He never noticed, though. He only had eyes for me. No one else did, of course, I was a nobody, just one of those theater kids, and not even the on-stage kind. I was invisible.

I still wasn't talking to Jacob. I wanted him to know I was serious about this, and serious about Edward. He needed to learn his place in my life. He couldn't control me or tell me who to date.

After we'd been together for almost three weeks, Edward announced to me that he was taking me to his house to meet his family.

"What?"

"To meet my family," Edward repeated. "I've already told them all about you. They're really anxious to meet you. You'll like them a lot."

"Oh…ok."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm just nervous," I said honestly. I was picturing an awkward sit-down dinner where I was all dressed up in a skirt and blouse and Edward was introducing me to Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver as his girlfriend. I could picture myself making all types of messes and tripping over my feet, not knowing what to say. The image in my head was horrifying.

"You have no reason to be nervous," assured Edward. I snorted, and he raised an eyebrow. "They'll love you."

"Edward I'm going to look like an idiot. Do you know how big of a klutz I am? I'm bound to break something."

He laughed. "I'll hold your hand the whole time. You won't have to move."

"Oh yeah, that'll look good. 'Hey Mom, Dad, meet Bella, my girlfriend who's incapable of moving without my help.' They'll be so impressed."

He only laughed harder, so I glared at him.

"Come on Bella," he said softly into my ear. "Do it for me. And I promise, no matter what you break, I will still love you."

My breath caught in my throat. It was understood between us that we were in love, but neither of us had actually said the words.

"Edward," I said breathlessly. He took me into his arms and kissed me softly but passionately. We were getting better at it, so I was able to kiss him back without getting out of control.

"I love you, Bella," Edward murmured into my lips.

"I love you, too," I said softly.

"And I want my family to meet you. I can't keep you to myself anymore."

I sighed. "Well, when you put it that way."

He grinned crookedly and kissed me again. How could I possibly argue with him when he did that?

So there we were, standing in front of the biggest, most beautiful house I'd ever been to. I wasn't dressed up in a skirt and blouse, just jeans and a nice shirt. I don't even know what Edward wore, no one looked at his clothes. It's hard to care what his clothes look like when his face is so completely distracting.

"Ready?" Edward asked. I could tell he was painfully excited.

I rolled my eyes. "Ready as I'll ever be."

His whole family was going to be there, Carlisle and Esme, his adopted parents, Emmett, his big brother, and of course Alice, who I had already met on several occasions. Rosalie was going to be there as well, since she was soon going to be part of the family, and Jasper, since he was Rosalie's brother and Alice's boyfriend.

Edward opened the door. Alice was there, waiting. I could tell she was trying hard not to tackle me. Edward had given her a firm talking to about that.

"Hello, Bella," she said, bouncing up and down.

"Hey, Alice," I laughed. "Energetic as usual, I see."

"Always!" she said cheerfully. I could see Edward shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. "The family's in the sitting room." And with that she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a door, practically skipping. I looked back at Edward, silently pleading with my eyes for help. He just smiled and shrugged.

"Everyone!" announced Alice before I was even in the room. "This is Bella!"

I was shoved into a room full of people, barely refraining from falling on my face. They all chuckled, and I blushed.

"Thank you, Alice," said Edward stepping into the room behind us.

"Bella," said a woman I assumed must be Esme. "It's so nice to meet you. Welcome to our home." She crossed the room and gave me a warm, gentle hug. "I'm Esme. This is my husband, Carlilse, and our son Emmett. This lovely lady here is his fiancé, Rosalie, and I think you've already met Jasper?" I nodded. And of course I recognized Rosalie from pictures around campus, but they hardly did her justice. She was drop-dead gorgeous. But then again, so were the rest of his family members. I felt very common amongst them all.

"It's nice to meet you all," I said politely.

Edward slid his arm around my waist. I heard someone laugh. I looked over and had to try very hard not to jump. I hadn't really noticed Emmett yet. He was positively frightening, he was so _huge._Edward gave him a look.

"Well, dinner's ready," said Esme. "Whenever everyone else is."

"I'm ready," said Emmett loudly, getting up and heading toward the dinning room. The rest of us followed.

Dinner was nothing like my nightmare. It was very loud and fun. Emmett was a riot, Alice was energetic, Jasper was quiet and polite, Rosalie was reserved, Esme was sugary sweet, and Carlisle somehow managed to hold it all together. Edward couldn't take his eyes (or hands) off me. His left hand never left my knee.

"You know," said Emmett after dinner, "I'm surprised."

"About what?" I asked nervously. It was just me, him, and Edward. Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper had already left and Carlisle and Esme were doing the dishes together. They were the cutest older couple I'd ever seen, they still acted like newlyweds.

"I always thought Edward was gay," said Emmett casually. My eyes widened in shock and Edward spit out his drink. Emmett's roar of laughter filled the room.

"Why?" I asked.

"He's never really had a girlfriend before," he said.

"I didn't know that," I said quietly. I looked over at Edward. His eyes were watering and he was trying to catch his breath. I tried not to laugh.

"Yeah, I've been trying to hook him up with girls for years," Emmett continued. "But he never showed the least bit of interest."

"Maybe that's because you kept trying to hook me up with harlots," growled Edward.

This time I really did laugh. Edward shot me a look, but after a minute he laughed too.

"What?" he said. "Don't give me that look."

"I've never seen you embarrassed," I said. "Hell, I've never even seen you _surprised._"

Emmett laughed. "I know, right? He's always so unnervingly calm. I love trying to get a rise out of him."

"Well you're pretty good at it," I complimented him.

"Years of practice," he said haughtily.

Edward slid an arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. I blushed and smiled at him.

"Gag!" shouted Emmett. "You guys are way too cute. I guess you were right, Edward. I just wasn't picking the right girls. She's perfect for you."

I blushed furiously now, but Edward smiled proudly.

"I couldn't agree more," he said.

_A/N: Hope you guys liked it!_

_I've got Blossoms of Love: The Unnamed Story on hold for now due to extenuating circumstances, but I just started another story called Standing Still that I hope everyone will like._

_On a more relevantnote, I can't guarantee there will be updates every day for a little while, it's going to be a slightly busy week, but I can promise that I'll try. Just bear with me._

_Someone mentioned in a review that Jake was getting a little stalkerish, and I agree, but there is a reason. I think Jacob is frustrated at Bella for refusing to date him for so long, but he really cares about her, so his overprotectiveness and jealousy banned together to create Stalker-Jake. I love Jake, but he is a tad unreasonable sometimes._

_Lots of Love! Thanks so much for reading, and thanks to my reviewers, I love you all! Review por favor!_


	9. Wait

_A/N: This chapter's a little short, but I'm ok with that. I hope you are, too. Enjoy!_

Ch. 9

**Wait**

"So what did you think?" Edward asked me in the car on the way back to my dorm.

"You're family was very nice," I said. "You were right."

"Of course I was," he said, grinning.

"Carlisle wasn't at all the way I thought he'd be. He was so…incredibly nice. And quiet. In a good way, though."

"Yeah," said Edward. "He and Esme are very nice people. It's Alice and Emmett that are the trouble makers."

I laughed. "That's for sure. But I like them a lot, too. It's Rosalie that worries me. I get the feeling that she doesn't like me very much."

Edward shrugged. "I think it's just going to take her some time to get used to you. She and Jasper are like a brother and sister to me, they've both been a part of my family so long. Rosalie just doesn't adapt well to change. Give her time."

"Ok," I said, deciding to trust him on this. "Emmett's huge."

Edward burst out laughing. "Yes," he chuckled, once he could contain himself. "He is indeed. He's on the football team. It's how he and Rosalie met, back in high school. They've been dating since they were in the 9th grade."

"Wow," I said. "And now they're juniors in college?"

He nodded. "They've been dating for seven years."

"No wonder they're engaged then," I said.

"Yeah," said Edward, "he proposed to her last summer. They're going to get married in July. Rosalie wanted to be engaged for a year before they actually got married. She doesn't like to rush into anything."

"That's good," I said, nodding. "How long have Alice and Jasper been together?"

"Five years," he replied. "But Alice told me she was going to marry him after the first day they met."

"Really?" I said. "That's cute. How could she know?"

He shrugged. "Alice just knows these things. She's still waiting for him to propose though."

"He will," I said confidently. "I've seen the way he looks at her. They're definitely in love."

"He's already told me he's going to," said Edward. "But you can't tell Alice. He's waiting for the right moment. He wants it to be very romantic, but he also wants to surprise her, which is hard to do. She always seems to know what's going on. Sometimes I think she's psychic or something."

I laughed. "That actually wouldn't surprise me."

"Me either," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Alice is really something. She's planning Emmett and Rosalie's wedding. With Esme's help of course. It's going to be insanely elaborate."

"Which will be fitting for the great Rosalie Hale," I said. "I'm just trying to picture Emmett in a tux, surrounded by white flowers."

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, that is hard to imagine. But I know he'll do it. He'll do anything to please Rose. He's crazy in love. I'm going to be the best man."

"That's great," I said. "Is Alice the maid of honor?"

"Of course," he said. We had pulled up to my dorm. "Well, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Yeah," I said, hesitating. "Actually…my roommates not staying here tonight. She's actually hardly ever here at all. She usually stays with her boyfriend, so…if you wanted to, you could stay with me tonight." I blushed. I couldn't believe I was asking him to stay the night with me. We'd been together for less than three weeks.

"Sure," he said, making my heart leap. I smiled.

"So…." I said in the elevator. "I'm your first real girlfriend?"

He nodded. "I've been on a few dates, but I've never actually 'gone steady' with anyone before."

"Well…you're my first boyfriend, too," I said shyly.

"Really?" He sounded surprised. I nodded. He grinned crookedly and took my hand.

As soon as we were in my room, I turned around and kissed him fiercely. He kissed me back, wrapping his arms around me. I pulled him back to the bed, and he ran his hands up my shirt and onto my back. I shivered. His touch was electrifying. I sat on the bed and pulled him with me. He climbed up and pulled me so that I was lying underneath him. My heart was pounding in my chest. He kissed the corner of my mouth, then my cheek, leaving a trail off kisses down to my jaw and the down my neck, all the way to my collar bone. My whole body was shivering with anticipation.

"Are you cold?" he asked quietly. I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. On the contrary, I was very hot.

I ran my hands along his back and then tugged at the bottom of his shirt, trying to tug it off. He raised himself off of me and pulled it over his head, tossing it to the floor. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled his lips down to mine, kissing him.

"Edward," I whispered against his lips.

"Hm?" he mumbled. He was kissing my neck again.

"Edward, I…I know we haven't been together for very long, but…"

He froze, staring at me.

"Oh," he said, quietly. "Oh gosh, Bella…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

"For what?" I asked, frightened.

He shook his head. "I should have talked to you about that…I got carried away."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well…" he said nervously. "I love you. You know that. But I don't want…to have sex. I want to wait until marriage."

"Oh…" I felt sick with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"It's alright," I mumbled. "I should be the one apologizing."

"I love you," he said, holding me tightly. "And believe me, I want to, too. I just…promised myself a long time ago that I would wait until marriage."

I nodded. "It's ok. I understand. And I love you, too."

He pulled my blanket up over us and snuggled against me, kissing various parts of my body.

"Go to sleep," he said.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"I love you."

If felt him smile against my forehead. "I love you, too."

_A/N: Phew!_

_So, a big ole shout out to all of my reviewers! You guys went above and beyond this last time! I got some pretty freakin' sweet reviews, keep it up! Oh, and a big batch of warm, delicious, chocolate chip cookies, fresh out of the oven, for my readers _and _my reviewers! Thank you so much, you guys._

_And, a note on Standing Still, it's coming along quite nicely, I'm hoping to have it posted soon!_


	10. We're Cool

_A/N: One more to go after this one, plus the epilogue! Enjoy!_

Ch. 10

**We're Cool**

"Bella."

"Holy shit!" I jumped and spun around. Jacob was standing behind me. I was in my hallway, about to unlock my door, and he'd appeared out of nowhere.

"Jacob! What the hell!" I shouted.

"Calm down," he said, rolling his eyes. "I just want to talk to you."

"Fine," I said. "Come in." I unlocked my door and let him in. Once again, my roommate was out.

"I really am sorry, Bella," he said to the floor, sitting on my bed.

"It's alright," I said. "I forgive you. And I'm sorry for not ever answering your calls. And avoiding you. And all that stuff."

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice," he said.

"You wouldn't quit yelling at me," I said. "You deserved it. Just accept the apology."

"Alright, alright," he said. "Apology accepted." He took a deep breath. "Anyway, I talked to Angela last week. She told me you and…Edward…are actually dating and that you seem really happy. And she said Edward's a really good guy, so…I decided I'm ok with it."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for your permission, Dad."

He gave a small smile. "You know I'm just trying to look out for you." He frowned. "But it kind of hurts my feelings that you can just cut me out of your life like that."

"I wasn't planning on cutting you out forever, Jake," I patted his hand. "I love you, you're like a brother to me. But I couldn't be around you while you were yelling at me about something so ridiculous. And waking up my R.A."

He grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's fine," I said. "No more apologizing. What's done is done, I forgive you as long as you promise to be more reasonable."

He nodded. "I solemnly swear to try my hardest."

"Good," I said. "You know, you were way off base thinking that all Edward wanted was sex. He's actually waiting until marriage."

His mouth dropped open in shock, and I laughed.

"You mean…_you_…" he gasped.

I laughed. "Calm down, Jake! I'm a grown woman, I can do what I want."

He glared at me. "You're making this really hard on me," he growled.

"Hey, I just told you we aren't having sex! And that we won't be any time soon."

"But you want to," he grumbled.

"And that's none of your business," I said. He just pouted. I laughed. "So, do you want to meet him?"

He sighed. "If I must."

"You must," I said. "We're practically inseparable. I'm surprised you caught me when he wasn't here."

"Where is he?" he asked.

"He has a class. But I was going to go meet him when it was over. You want to come?"

"I guess so," he said.

Together, we walked over to the building that Edward's class was in. I was secretly very relieved to have Jacob back in my life. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him.

"Alright," I said once we were there. "Be civil!"

"Once again," he grimaced. "I'll try my hardest."

"You better," I said. "I love him."

"You what?!"

I frowned. "Jacob Black, _please _do not shout. I said I love him. That should make you happy."

He growled for a minute, but then calmed down. "It does," he said. "As long as he loves you back."

"He does," I said confidently.

"But I swear, if he does anything to hurt you…there won't be enough of him left to bury."

I rolled my eyes and gave him a hug. "You're so incredibly caring and sensitive," I said.

"Yeah, it's one of my many fine qualities," he grumbled. I felt him stiffen.

"There he is," he whispered. I looked around. Sure enough, there was Edward, looking at us curiously. I stepped away from Jacob, embarrassed that Edward had seen me hugging him. I hoped he didn't get the wrong idea.

"How did you know what he looked like?" I asked suspiciously.

Jacob shrugged. "I might have followed you once or twice. I've been trying to get you alone for about a week."

My jaw dropped.

"What?" he said defensively. "You wouldn't answer my calls!"

"You're such a stalker," I mumbled. "Edward!" I wrapped my arms around my boyfriend.

"Hello, Bella," he said, kissing my forehead. He looked up at Jacob.

"You must be Jacob," he said politely, holding out his hand.

Jacob narrowed his eyes, but accepted his hand. "Yes. And you must be Edward."

"Indeed I am," he replied. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm glad to see that you and Bella are on better terms now."

Jacob nodded slowly. Apparently he hadn't expected Edward to know anything about him. I giggled.

"Yes," I said to Edward, since apparently Jacob had decided that Edward wasn't worthy of words. "Jacob surprised me at my dorm earlier and apologized for being so rude. We're cool now."

"That's wonderful news," said Edward. "So, Jacob, Bella and I were just going to lunch, would you like to join us?"

I laughed. Once again, Edward surprised Jacob with his niceness.

"He's too perfect" said Jacob over the phone later that night.

I laughed. "I know. Isn't he great?"

"There has to be something wrong with him."

I rolled my eyes. "Jake, just accept it, he's a good guy! You have no choice but to like him. Face it. Be his friend." I grinned.

Jake just mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?" I asked, laughing.

"Nothing," he sighed. "I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Ok, good night Jacob."

"Wait…Bells…"

"Yes?" I said patiently.

"The truth is…I was a little jealous."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. Apparently he didn't catch it.

"You know how I feel about you," he said. "It's no secret. And I'm not asking you to break up with this guy for me, I can see that you like him a lot, and I can also see…" he took a deep breath and then sighed, "that he cares about you. I just want you to know that you don't ever have to be alone. I promise never to give up on you, so if this guy ever hurts you, or you get tired of him, or whatever, I'll always be here for you. I don't expect anything back from you, but whenever you need me, I'll be there."

"Wow, Jake," I said. "that's really sweet. You really are a good friend, I'm lucky to have you."

"Nah," he said. "I'm the lucky one. Just…be careful, ok? I don't want to see you get hurt, even if that means I get you back to myself."

I smiled. "I promise I'll be careful, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. Promise me that you won't wait on me, though. If you find a girl you like, go for it. I can't guarantee that I'll ever be available again."

"Hey now," he said, "don't start talking like that already. Keep an open heart, open mind."

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, Jake, don't push your luck."

He laughed sadly. "I love you, Bells."

"I love you, too, Jake. Thanks for being a good friend."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I sighed and hung up the phone. It hurt me that I couldn't make Jake happy, but I just didn't feel that way for him. I never had. But I was glad that he understood, and I knew he would find someone wonderful someday. I just hoped he didn't pass up any chances on happiness for me. As much as he irritated me, I loved Jacob Black, and I wanted him to be as happy as I was with Edward.

_A/N: Hope you guys liked that one! I did, this was one of my favorites so far, completely on accident! I love Jacob, I wish he had a little more luck. So this is what happened: originally, the chapter ended with Jacob's first 'goodnight' without all the hearfelt talk and stuff, but I put it on here and the chapter was so short, and I couldn't have that, so I decided to beef it up again. So I had this idea for Jacob to spill his guts, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out, I hope you are, too. I don't know though, I may not be as happy with it tomorrow, that's usually the way I work. I'll write something one day and be happy with it, then I'll go back and reread it later and be like, oh, wow, this is crap! I hope this isn't one of those things._

_Anyway, enough about me, you guys! You guys are awesome, I love my reviews! Keep up the good work! Oh, and let me know if you guys want me to mention you down here for really good reviews and such, I've been trying not to do that, because I would be embarassed to be singled out, but if I have a lot of people saying they don't mind I will._

_Anyway, that's enough talk for one chapter. This story's almost over, but stay tuned for Standing Still and hopefully The Unnamed Story Called Blossoms of Love! And, of course, Breaking Dawn, I'm freakin' ecstatic!_

_Thanks for reading!_


	11. Twinkle, Twinkle

_A/N: This is the final chapter besides the epilogue, I hope it lives up to any expectations you might have! Enjoy!_

Ch. 11

**Twinkle, Twinkle**

I looked at my calendar groggily.

"It's the 6th," I said.

"Yes, and…" Edward said excitedly.

"And Tuesday?"

"It's our one month anniversary!" he practically shouted.

I groaned into the phone. He'd woken me up at 8:00. I didn't have a class until 10:00.

"Edward, you're such a girl! I pressure you to have sex and you say no, you hint at our one month anniversary and get mad when I don't remember it…honestly."

He chuckled. "I'm not mad," he said. "I didn't really expect you to remember it, I was just going to see if you figured it out."

"Freakin…8 in the morning…" I mumbled under my breath. He laughed.

"Sorry," he said cheerfully.

"No you're not," I accused, getting another chuckle out of him. "So is this a special occasion?" I asked. "Do we have to do something fancy?"

"Not unless you want to," he said. "I actually had something fairly simple in mind."

"Simple's good," I said. "What are we doing?"

"You'll see," he said. He was very clearly excited, which I thought was adorable. "Anyway, I have to go to class. Just wanted to say good morning. I'll be outside your dorm at…9:50 to walk you to class."

"Ok," I said, "See you then. Love you."

"I love you, too," he said, hanging up. I pressed my face into my pillow and went back to sleep.

I bugged him all day about it, but he never would tell me what we were doing. He finally told me to be ready at 7:30 and to wear tennis shoes. I asked him why, but again he wouldn't tell. For some reason I was incredibly nervous, but I was ready when he told me to be.

"Where are we going?" I asked, as soon as I was in the car.

He just smiled at me.

"Fine," I said. "I'll be surprised." I looked in the backseat. There was a blanket and a flashlight.

He chuckled. "Why do you want to know so badly? Don't you like surprises?"

"I do," I said. "I'm just afraid we're going to be doing something I'm not good at."

He laughed. "You'll be fine, I promise. This doesn't really require any particular skills."

"Ok," I said. "If you promise."

After a minute, I recognized the road we were on. I raised an eyebrow.

"Edward…we're not going to your house are we?"

"Not quite," he chuckled. "But it is near my house. By the way, have you smoked any cigarettes today?"

"No, actually," I said.

"Good job," he said, smiling. "That's what, two whole weeks without a single cigarette?"

"Yep," I said. "I've found that when I'm with you, I don't really need them."

"That's great," he said. "Glad I could help you out."

We pulled into his driveway.

"Are you sure we're not going to your house?" I asked.

"Like I said, it's near my house."

It was actually quite near his house. In fact, we parked at his house. No one else was home, though. He came around to the passenger door and took my hand, helping me out of the car as if I might fall on my face at any moment. He had the blanket tucked under his other arm. Then he led me around his house, through Esme's back garden, and across a field. There was a wood across the field, and this frightened me.

"Are we going into the woods?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, "but there's a trail we'll take."

I didn't say anything else. The fact that we would be on a trail didn't entirely comfort me, especially since it was getting darker at every moment. I gripped his hand a little tighter. When we got to the edge of the forest, sure enough, there was a trail. It was wide and kept free of rocks and branches and things, which made me feel slightly better. At least my chances of tripping over something were reduced. However, the woods were still big, dark, and eerie.

"Edward, is it safe?" I whispered.

"Of course," he said. "I wouldn't bring you if it wasn't. There aren't any dangerous animals in this wood. There might be a few snakes, but those we'll be able to see and avoid if they're on the trail."

"Snakes?" I squeaked.

Edward pulled a flashlight out of his back pocket and shone it on the ground in front of us. The light instantly made me feel a little better. Edward stopped and turned me to face him.

"I promise I'm not going to let anything hurt you Bella," he said, looking straight into my eyes. Then he kissed me, and I felt much better.

I nodded, and we moved on. It seemed like a long walk, but we finally reached the edge of the woods.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, stepping out of the trees. It was a small round meadow, full of wildflowers, along with light and shadows from the setting sun. It was beautiful, and perfectly round.

"You like it?" Edward whispered in my ear.

"It's beautiful," I whispered back. I followed him to the center of the clearing where he laid out the blanket. He sat down and patted the space next to him. I sat down and we both laid back. We watched the sky in silence for a while.

"Twilight," whispered Edward. "This is my favorite time of day."

"Mine, too," I said quietly.

"Really?" he asked.

"It is now," I said. He laughed. "I've never really had a favorite time of day before, but this definitely wins."

"Why?"

I rolled over and put my arm across his stomach, pressing my face into his shoulder.

"Because you're here."

He smiled down at me. "I love you Bella Swan."

"I love you, too, Edward Cullen."

I sighed and closed my eyes, suddenly feeling sleepy.

He kissed my forehead and whispered, "You are my life now."

I smiled and held him closer. At that moment I knew, if I hadn't before, that I would spend the rest of my life with this boy. This was true love. I could hardly believe something this pure and wonderful could be possible without some sort of catch. Maybe there was a catch. But if there was, we could handle it. At that moment, I felt like our love could handle anything.

After a moment of laying in silence, I heard Edward humming something. It wasn't a song I'd ever heard before, but it was beautiful.

"What is that?" I asked him.

"It's your lullaby," he said. "I wrote it for you."

"It's beautiful," I breathed. I smiled and blushed as I continued to listen to my song. After a moment I looked back up at the sky.

"Oh look," I exclaimed, "the first star!"

"So it is," said Edward, but he wasn't looking at the sky. He was looking at me.

"I love to watch the stars," I said. "They way they shine so bright. You can see them so much better out here, away from the city lights."

"And yet," said Edward, "no star could ever shine as bright as you." He grinned and kissed my forehead. I laid back and looked at the stars, slowly burning their way into the night sky. And then I began to sing a new lullaby.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star…"

_A/N: I don't know about you guys, but I'm happy the way this story ends. I didn't want to keep it going for too terribly long since it didn't really have a solid plot, but I hope I still did ok with it. There will be an epilogue that I hope to have posted soon, and I like it, too._

_Still working on Standing Still, I'm over halfway finished, while Blossoms of Love is at a ahem stand still (no pun intended...ok, maybe pun intended). Sorry about the lame jokes, blame my boyfriend, he's a bad influence on me._

_Oh my gosh Breaking Dawn is almost here! Squeals childishly_

_Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, you guys are awesome! Leave me some love!_


	12. Epilogue

_A/N: El Fin! Enjoy!_

**Epilogue**

"Oh, Rosalie, you look so wonderful!" Alice exclaimed, standing on her toes to look over Rosalie's shoulder into the mirror.

Rosalie turned and hugged her soon to be sister-in-law.

"Thank you, Alice," she said, "you've been a great maid of honor."

She straightened up. Alice sniffled.

"Alice, are you crying?" I asked.

"I'm just so happy and excited!" she said. She looked down at her left hand, which was dominated by a beautiful engagement ring. "And I can't believe I'm next."

Rosalie laughed and turned to me. "Thank you, too, Bella," she said. "You've been a great bridesmaid, too."

I blushed. "Of course," I said. "I want to be a part of this family now, too. You two are like the sisters I always wanted."

They beamed at me. Edward had been right. Rosalie, though quite shallow, was very nice, and had warmed up to me a great deal once she'd gotten used to me, and she'd even asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I had been astonished, but very pleased.

"Alright," said Alice, gaining control of her emotions. "Go marry my brother!"

Alice really had gone overboard, as everyone had known she would. The wedding was outdoors by the ocean, a scene which would have been beautiful enough without all of the elaborate decorations. There were beautiful, real flowers everywhere, and white satin draped from the trees, as well as countless other little details that Alice had said were a necessity, like white rose petals scattered across the ground. Alice and I were the only bridesmaids, and we were in dark blue satin dresses that flowed behind us. Alice chose blue to match Rosalie's eyes. Edward and Jasper looked great in their tuxes, but then again, they looked great in anything. Emmett just looked blissful as he watched his bride walk down the aisle, and of course, Rosalie looked stunning. She was the kind of bride that took your breath away when you saw her.

The service was beautiful, and a lot of people (mostly Esme and Alice), teared up as Emmett kissed his bride and the minister presented the new couple to us.

At the reception, Edward cornered me.

"Dance with me," he whispered in my ear. I blushed. Even though we'd been together for nearly four months, he still gave me butterflies.

"I can't dance," I said.

"Nonsense. It's all in the leading." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out onto the dance floor, spinning me around. He held me close to him so that I wouldn't have to move much on my own. I found that I was able to keep up.

"See?" said Edward. "It's not so bad."

"Only because I'm with you," I said.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

I blushed. "Thank you. So do you."

He chuckled. "I like to think I'm more on the handsome side than beautiful."

I rolled my eyes. "Well I'm not a big fan of the word handsome. I don't mean you look girly when I say you're beautiful. I just mean you're…perfect."

He smiled. "That's exactly what I mean when I tell you you're beautiful as well."

I blushed. "Anyway," I said, trying to change the subject. "I think I know what I want my major to be."

"Really?" he asked. "What's that?"

"I think I want to teach theater."

He smiled. "That would be perfect for you," he said.

"I was kind of thinking the same thing. We could both be teachers."

"That's wonderful," he said. "Two awesome, smoke free teachers."

I rolled my eyes and looked away. I could see Emmett and Rosalie dancing blissfully, though I knew Emmett was ready for the honeymoon. I knew this because he'd told me. The thought of that conversation made me blush all over again. Near them, I saw Carlisle and Esme dancing, as happy and in love as if they were the ones who'd just gotten married. Alice and Jasper were holding each other close and whispering to each other. I smiled at the thought of their December wedding that was coming up. Alice wasn't as patient as Rosalie. She'd wanted to get married as soon as she could without stepping on Rosalie's wedding, so a winter wedding was decided on.

Edward's family was so beautiful, so wonderful, and so loving. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I not only got the most wonderful man in the world, but also a perfect, complete family like nothing I'd ever had. This made me think of my mom and Charlie. I sighed.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

"Nothing," I said. "I just realized you're going to have to meet my parents soon."

He laughed. "That's not such a bad thing is it?"

"No, I'm sure they'll love you," I assured him. "Although Chief Swan may or may not interrogate you like a murder suspect."

"I bet I can handle that," he said.

"I'm sure you can. We can handle anything, right?"

"Anything at all," he said, smiling. "As long as I've got you."

I smiled back. Yes, I thought, I loved this man. I would spend the rest of my life happily ever after.

_A/N: Wow, it's over, how wierd! I hope you guys liked it!_

_Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing, it made my...month, I guess. I love you all, totally._

_Stay tuned for Standing Still, coming your way soon._

_Oh, and a big fat ice cream cake to all of you for being so awesome!_


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